1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a console box installed in a vehicle interior for containing small articles and the like therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a console box installed between left and right seats in a vehicle interior, a console lid is rotatably attached to a console box main unit with an opening for containing goods, the console lid covering the opening of the console box main unit. A console lid of this type is arranged at a position in the vicinity of an elbow portion of an occupant seated on a seat. Therefore, the console lid is used as an armrest or a container portion of a cup holder. In this case, it is desired that the console lid not only be rotatable for opening/closing the opening of the box main unit, but also be slidable in the front-back direction.
Consequently, there is conventionally proposed a console box in which a console lid is rotatable and also is slidable in the front-back direction (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication, First Publication No. H06-99775).
This console box includes: a lid base for rotatably supporting a console lid over a box main unit; and a lid cover slidably back-and-forth provided on this lid base. The back-and-forth slide of the lid cover and the rotation with respect to the lid base are locked by a locking mechanism. To a front end portion of the console lid, there is provided an operation lever so that an occupant hooks his or her hand over it from above to perform a pull-up operation. The pull-up operation on the operation lever can release the locking mechanism.
However, the conventional console box has a mechanism in which the pull-up operation on the operation lever releases the lock both the back-and-forth slide operation and the rotation operation of the console lid. As a result, if the console lid is intended to be slid in the front-back direction with the hand rested over the operation lever, a slight difference in the way the force is put sometimes leads to a rotation and opening of the console lid, leaving room for improvement in operability.
To address the above problem, it may be considered to provide a locking mechanism for the back-and-forth slide operation of the console lid and a locking mechanism for the rotation operation thereof, and further provide release operation levers which respectively correspond to the locking mechanisms. However, in this case, the number of parts is increased and the mechanism becomes complicated, leading to apprehension that the production cost will be high.
Therefore, the present invention has a first object to provide a console box that is capable of preventing an erroneous operation between the slide operation and the rotation operation of the console lid without inviting further complication of the mechanism and an increase in the number of parts.
A locking mechanism of a conventional console box is made of, for example: a locking groove provided in one of a box main unit and a console lid; and a locking pin provided in the other of the box main unit and the console lid, in which the locking pin fits into the locking groove when the console lid is closed (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication, First Publication No. H06-99775).
In a console box which adopts this locking mechanism, locking operability can be made favorable by enlarging the difference between a groove width of the locking groove and a fitting portion dimension (an outer diameter) of the locking pin. However, in this case, clearance between the locking groove and the locking pin becomes large in the locked state and thereby invites a looseness of the console lid. Meanwhile, if the difference between the groove width of the locking groove and the fitting portion dimension of the locking pin becomes small so as to reduce the looseness, the operability becomes worse.
Therefore, the present invention has a second object to provide a console box that is capable of preventing looseness of a console lid when it is locked without inviting worsening of a locking operability.